Business Name (BN) shall refer to ANY name that is different from THE TRUE NAME OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHICH IS USED OR SIGNED in connection with her/his business on any written or printed receipts, including receipts for business taxes, duties and fees and withdrawal or delivery receipts; any written or printed evidence of any agreement or business transaction; and any sign or billboard conspicuously exhibited in plain view in, or at the place of her/his business or elsewhere, announcing his /her business.

Yes, according to Section 1 of Act No. 3883 it is unlawful for any person to use any name in connection with her/his business other than her/his true name without first registering the business name in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

4. Who may apply for a Business Name?

A person who is at least eighteen (18) years old, doing business or proposing to do business in the Philippines under a BN and who is not disqualified by any existing law or regulation to engage in business is qualified to apply for a BN registration.

- For transactions filed by a representative, he/she must bring his/her government issued valid ID in addition with the required documents for every specific transaction.

5. What are the requirements in registering a business name?

• Two (2) copies of duly accomplished application form signed by the owner.

Per DTI Department Administrative Order No. 10-10, series of 2010, the following registration fees for every application for registration of BUSINESS NAME (original and renewal) depending on the territorial jurisdiction covered in the application are as follows:

Barangay

PHP 200.00

City/Municipality

PHP 500.00

Regional

PHP 1,000.00

National

PHP 2,000.00

- Foreign applicants shall be required to present the original and a clear certified copy of the Certificate of Authority to engage in business in the Philippines per Republic Act No. 7042 as amended (Foreign Investment Act), Republic Act No 8762 (Retail Trade Liberalization Law) or other similar laws, if applicable. ( Department Administrative Order 2010-08 Section 6)

Note: Any transaction with Department of Trade and Industry relative to Business Name Registration requires a presentation of government-issued valid and original ID of the owner and representative (if necessary).

8. For Special Documentary Requirements

Deceased Registrant
In case of death of the registrant, the registered BN shall no longer be renewed under the decedent’s name. The heirs, in order to retain the BN of their predecessor shall have the following options:

• If an executor is named in the deceased’s will, she/he may sign the application for BN registration. Otherwise, any of the heirs may go to court and apply for letters of administration. The named executor or the person who obtains the Court’s appointment, as the case may be, may apply for BN registration in behalf of the estate.
• If there are two (2) or more heirs, they may execute an Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate, assigning therein an heir to administer the business and apply for the registration of the predecessor’s existing BN.
• If there is only one (1) heir, she/he may execute an Affidavit of Self-Adjudication of a Sole Heir then apply for the registration of the predecessor’s BN attaching thereto a copy of said affidavit.

In all of the immediately preceding instances, the application for registration shall be supported additionally with a clear certified copy of the registrant’s Death Certificate.

9. Where can I process my BN application (new and renewal)?

There are three (3) modes in processing the business names application:
• Over-the-counter - can be done at any of the following:

A. Business name should be comprised of three different parts namely: Dominant Name, Infix( for specialized line of business), and Business Descriptor (defines the nature of business).

Example: Juan Watch Repair Shop

Dominant Name – Juan
*Infix – Watch
Business Descriptor – Repair Shop

*Infix is required if the nature of business needs to be specific.

B. BNs that are NOT registrable are:
• Those which are or whose natures of business are illegal, offensive, scandalous, or contrary to propriety (e.g Popoy’s Jueteng Betting Place, Boobs Massage and Spa);
• Those which are the same, nearly the same as or confusingly the same with an existing registered business name, company, partnership, corporation, cooperative name; nor it infringes on any trademark, service mark or tradename (e.g Anne Dok’s Lechon, Jolibee, Starbax Café);
• Those which are composed purely of generic or geographic words (e.g The Laundry Shop, Bacolod);
• Those which by law or regulation cannot be appropriated (e.g OTOP, Intelligence, State College);
• Those used to designate or distinguish, or suggestive of quality of any class of goods, articles, merchandise or service (e.g Best Taho Factory, A-1 Auto Repair Shop);
• Those which is used by the government in its governmental functions (e.g NBI Private Investigation Services, DTI Trading);
• Those names or abbreviation of a name of any nation, intergovernmental or international organization (e.g Philippine Manpower Pooling Agency, UNESCO Marketing);
• Those which are deceptive, misleading or which misrepresent the nature of the business (e.g “GOLD CONSTRUCTION SERVICES” where nature of business is recruitment);

11. Can a natural person or sole proprietor use the word "corporation" or "incorporated" as part of his business name? How about company?

No, only a partnership or corporation registered with SEC can use the word "company" or "corporation" as part of their business name.

12. What is territorial scope/territorial applicability of BN registration?

Territorial scope/applicability of BN registration refers to an area within which the BN owner’s right to use the registered BN shall be confined. It may be within a Barangay, within a certain City/Municipality, Region or may be National in coverage.

13. What are the rules on the approval of BNs within territorial boundaries?

A proposed BN will be validated against the database of registered BNs in the territory:

• Barangay – the proposed business name will be validated against the registered BNs in that specific barangay, city/municipality covering specified barangay, proper region and national level in scope. It will be approved provided it is not identical or confusingly similar with BNs registered within that barangay, city/municipality, region or national in scope.
• City/Municipality – the proposed BN will be validated against the registered BNs in that specific city/municipality, proper region and national in scope. It will be approved provided it is not identical or confusingly similar with BNs registered within that city/municipality and its barangay, region or national in scope.
• Regional - the proposed BN will be validated against the registered BNs in that region and those national in scope. It will be approved provided it is not identical or confusingly similar with BNs registered within the same region, its cities/municipalities and barangays or national in scope.
• National - the proposed BN will be validated against the all registered BNs.

14. The territorial scope of my Business Name is within a city. If I want to expand my business and put up branches in other cities, what do I need to do?

• New Application- The owner may register the same BN provided that it will be registered with a different city and will cover the new business location.
• Cancel/Apply- under DAO 10-08 Section 23.1 “provided that a change of business location territory shall be deemed as new application, the approval of which is subject to the rules on registrability and payment of the prescribed fee.”

15. How long is the validity of my BN registration?

The Business Name registration is valid for five years from the date of registration.

16. When to renew the BN registration and what are the requirements?

• Applications for renewal may be filed three (3) months prior to the expiration date (Early Filing) or within three (3) months immediately following the expiration of the registration (Regular Filing). If the renewal application is filed within the last three (3) months thereof, a surcharge of Fifty Percent (50%) of the registration fee shall be imposed (Late Filing). (Reference: DAO No. 13-01 Section 1) Fill up the portion of the application form for renewal.
• Failure to renew the business name beyond the Late Filing period shall be deemed not filed. The Certificate of BN Registration shall be immediately cancelled from the records and will be made available for new registration. (Reference: DAO No. 13-01 Series of 2013 Section 1).

17. If I file for a renewal of my business name, can I change or modify other information which was originally approved?

Yes. You can only update some business information like territorial scope, TIN, middle name, citizenship, gender, civil status, email address, phone number or telephone number, and residence address. However, you CANNOT change the business name which was originally approved; otherwise it will require a new registration.

18. What are the requirements for the change of business information due to change of marital status?

- Request letter for the change of marital status
- Government issued original valid ID of the business name owner
- Original and photocopy of Certificate of Marriage (single to married)
- Original and photocopy of Court Order (married to single)
- Processing fee of P50.00 plus P 30.00 documentary stamp tax per business name

*Certification of Business Name Registration will be issued upon the request of change of marital status.

19. What are the requirements for Change of Address?

The Business Name Registration System does not require a business address, but a territorial scope of the business. The applicant may locate his/her business anywhere within the defined territorial scope as indicated in the application.

For the change of residence address, the requirements are:

- Government issued original valid ID of the business name owner
- Request letter originally signed by the business name owner
- Payment of Php50.00 and Php 30.00 documentary stamp

20. Do we still need to inform DTI when we close our business?

Yes, you have to apply for cancellation of your registered business name.

21. What are the requirements/procedures for the cancellation of a Business Name?

• Government issued original valid ID of the business name owner
• Affidavit of cancellation of the registered business name, stating the reason/s for the cancellation and that the registered owner has no outstanding financial obligation.
• Surrender original copy of the Certificate of Business Name Registration
• An affidavit of loss if the Certificate of Business Name Registration was lost.
• Php 30.00 documentary stamp

22. I lost my original BN registration certificate. How can I secure another copy?

You may be able to secure a substitute document to evidence the existence and validity of your business name based on the DTI registration records. This refers to a request for and issuance of the affirmative CERTIFICATION.

Requirements to secure a CERTIFICATION from DTI are:

1. Government issued original valid ID of the requestor
2. Letter request signed by the owner, stating the following:

• Information relative to business name such as business name and/or owner’s name
• Reason/s for the request

23. What are the requirements if I want to secure a Certified True Copy?

Requests for Certified True Copy of the Business Name Certificate are allowed if the applicant registered his/her business name through over-the-counter transaction only. The requirements in securing a certified true copy are:

• Letter request signed by the requesting party; indicate requested number of copies for CTC;
• Original and photocopy/ies of the Business Name certificate;
• Processing fee of P50.00 per copy plus P 30.00 documentary stamp tax

Note: Request for Certified True Copy must be submitted to the appropriate office where the Business Name (BN) registration was processed. For Online end-to-end transactions, only certification will be issued and requests can be submitted at any DTI Regional/Provincial/Field offices.

24. How many days can I reserve the business name lodged online?

Business Name reservation is valid up to 5 working days.

25. What are the requirements if I want to request for verification if a certain business name is registered?

The TRN is a system-generated number which serves as reference of a specific transaction.

27. If I lost my TRN, how can I retrieve it?

In the event that you have lost the TRN you may contact the PMT-BR Helpdesk thru email, bnrshelpdesk@dti.gov.ph. and telephone number 751-0384 locals 2519 and 2520.

28. Can I get another copy if I failed to print the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) Acknowledgement?

No. The TRN Acknowledgement is only issued once.

29. Is it allowed to transfer the ownership of a business name registration?

No. Transfer of ownership of a business name registration is not allowed.

30. What is the use of Business name search?

The online search facility is provided in the eBNRS for you to find registered business names in the Philippines. The search facility should not be used to determine the availability of the proposed business name but a tool to initially check for possible similarities.

There are two (2) search criteria available for the public, namely Begins With and Contains All Words. You can conduct a search by typing the exact business name or a few words contained in a business name.

31. What is e-Payment?

Payments that are processed entirely electronically, with the value passing from one account to another account. Currently, DTI has enlisted both Bancnet and Globe’s GCash for this facility.

32. What is Bancnet?

Bancnet is the largest electronic banking consortium with 54 members and affiliates. It is a multi-bank multi-channel electronic payment network enabling payments for its ATM cardholders via ATM, point-of-sale terminal, Internet, and Mobile.

33. How can an applicant pay his/her registration through Bancnet?

To pay their BN application via Bancnet, here are the steps to follow:

Step 1:

Go to www.bnrs.dti.gov.ph or www.dti.gov.ph and click the Business Name Registration (BNR) icon;

Step 2:

Select Online Payment and accept BNRS Terms and Conditions; Click the TRN to display the Business Information.

Step 3:

Select Bancnet as Payment Type, enter TRN, and click Search;

Step 4:

Click the TRN, the system will display the information of the application such as: Transaction Reference Number (TRN), Proposed Business Name, Applicant Name, Process Fee, Documentary Stamp Tax (DST), Convenience Fee, and Total Amount, Click Process Payment to continue;

Step 5:

The system will redirect to Bancnet Online Payment Page; choose the Bank to be used in paying the registration and click Submit;

The BancNet will charge the client a convenience fee of Php 15.00 per Business Name payment transaction.

37. What is Gcash?

GCash is an internationally acclaimed micropayment service that transforms your mobile phone into a virtual wallet for secure, fast, and convenient money transfers at the speed and cost of a text message.

Select GCash as payment type; enter the Transaction Reference Number (TRN), and click search. The following details will be displayed: Click the TRN to display the Business Information.

Step 3:

The Business Information contains the details of TRN, Applicant Name, and Fees. Please ensure that the information matches the correct transaction before the payment to avoid inconvenience. Enter the 11-digit GCash-registered Cell Phone Number and click Continue. A notification pop-up will be displayed. Click yes to continue;

Step 4:

From their mobile phones, reply the SMS requesting for the entry of mobile personal identification number (MPIN);

Note: MPIN is the User-defined pin/password that will be provided during the GCASH Account creation.

40. How can the client download and print their Business Name Certificate?

After successful payment, the client may now download the certificate. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1:

Click Download Certificate/Certification under Online Services;

Step 2:

Accept BNRS Terms and Conditions;
Click the TRN to display the Business Information.

Step 3:

Supply required information and click Next;

Step 4:

Click Generate PDF, the button will change into a link;

Step 5:

Click Download Business Name Certificate link;

Step 6:

The client may now download their Business Name Certificate.

Note: MPIN is the User-defined pin/password that will be provided during the GCASH Account creation.

41. If I failed to download and print the generated Business Name Certificate, can I request for a re-download?

Yes, you may contact our office through telephone no. 751-0384 locals 2519 and 2520 or email bnrshelpdesk@dti.gov.ph to request for the re-download of the Business Name Certificate.

Note: DTI allows re-downloading of certificate only once.

42. Can I get a list of registered Business Name? What are the information available?

Yes, you may request for a list of registered business names. The only information available are: